All Chapters of Claiming His Queen : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

With strength on play, Adler swam back to the yacht, every stroke propelling them closer to the surface. The commotion on the yacht's deck grew louder, and he could hear Victor's voice barking orders.The feel of her skin against his was cold, and the shoes on his feet restricted his speed in reaching the yacht.Kyra came in handy, and finally, they were able to hoist her onto the deck, where Rune was waiting, his alarm evident on his stricken face as he took her from their hands and onto the surface of the yacht.Adler scaled the steps with a house until he was by her side, pushing Rune out of the way, giving him access to gape fully into her face."Lily." He held her hands, raising his head, and shouted, "Call the fucking 911!"Kyra dashed off, open-eyed in the wake of Lily's imminent danger.Damnit, he was losing his mind. What to do? What to fucking do? Rather than watch her pale, wet face, he placed his ears close to her nose, no breath. No fucking breath.Not another scare. Lily

LILYS POV.He didn't return in a minute like he said he would, nor was he present the following hours. Instead of him, there were a couple of his soldiers at the door of my ward. Although their voices were low, their chatter made sleeping even harder, coupled with the thought of where Adler was.Three hours later, I was debating whether to muster the courage to walk up to the goons and inquire about his whereabouts, but being a chicken was a characteristic I had grown to accept, so slowly and quietly, I sprawled myself on the bed and stared in the darkness, missing the warmth he brought with him.I smiled, remembering Rune's nickname for him. It defined him right; for a year of my life, he was there. Each time I lost hope in staying alive, he was the first face I saw and arguably the first cologne I smelled, and each time he wrapped his arms around me, I saw my terrors fading.Although my mind kept drifting back to the thought that this same man had been the victim of my father's mis

It sucked when the brain replayed the negative aspects of life repeatedly, so you spent your nights trying to figure out how to react and feel. Worse, my favorite form of escapism, denial, proved ineffective. I could not trick my mind into thinking I did not care, so I kept telling myself it was all a dream."The boss's engagement."It could not possibly be Adler's engagement. He happened to be in my ward one day, and the following day, he was getting engaged? The only plausible explanation was that I was still at the hospital in my gown, waiting to be checked out by him, Rune, or Kyra.However, when morning came and I saw the pictures of myself on the wall staring back at me, I could accept it. Adler was getting engaged. I laughed as I rose from the bed and brushed my hair away from my face. Where did I get that idea? That he would settle for me. Enough of a reason he shouldn't was his family's dislike for me. Not to speak about his position in public. Next, class?I could list a

AUTHOR’S POV [ADLER]“This is the happiest day of my life." Athena whispered, so only he heard as he pushed the ring into her finger, "Would have been so if all of this isn't a fake."He fitted the band before kissing her knuckles. Another round of applause from their audience interrupted his thoughts."You could at least smile, you know." She continued, as they turned to face the crowd slowly surrounding them, “You said to make this believable, but here you are doing the bare minimum.”He sighed in exhaustion, letting his eyes sweep over the faces of the guests, people who had a link to the underworld. But cover that with an ironed-out suit and a pleasant, restful countenance, and one had judges, politicians, and sometimes even governors.But also, he could begin to see the discomfort in their faces as they noticed the supposed 'groom' who made all of this up, creating distance. Distance that didn't have to be physical before it was noticeable. He needed to play this right. It was t

[EVA]She noticed Salvatore approaching from the corner of her eye. Eva let a smirk escape her lips as she took one last look at Victor and his troops.HE JUST MESSED WITH THE WRONG SISTER.A FEW MINUTES EARLIEROf course, she loved parties, especially parties like this, for she wasn't grown up enough to partake in them like Lily had before their dad died, but given the opportunity on a silver platter, she sure as hell was about to make the most of it.She exuded femininity, standing tall with a raised chin while watching the grand carnival in the form of an engagement, dressed in a soft, long dress of mild ivory and her idea of the perfect makeup. For an engagement, who would go to such lengths? All furniture, glass, and porcelain fixtures exuded an opulent aura.In the glaring lights and attention, she felt like Cinderella. What was left? The clock striking twelve? Haha, jokes on them; she lived in the party. A short distance up the steps, beneath the roof of a don who, she would h